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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · lean · bowl · ground · rest · dip · cap · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. ground — the earth
  10. march — the month
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. row — to paddle
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rest — what's left
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rest — a break
  21. march — the month
  22. ground — a position
  23. lean — thin
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com